HEALTH Minister Jane Hutt was accused yesterday of a "weak and woolly" response to dire warnings over the collapse of the NHS in Wales.

HEALTH Minister Jane Hutt was accused yesterday of a "weak and woolly" response to dire warnings over the collapse of the NHS in Wales.

The Minister announced an extra &#xA3;25m to fund reform in the NHS in the wake of the Wanless Report, which said the present health service was "unsustainable."

The cash will give communities more say over health services, reduce the rising demand for hospital beds and encourage people to take more responsibility for their health.

But opposition AMs yesterday claimed it had little practical action to cut waiting lists or targets to measure success.

Ms Hutt told the cross-party Assembly health committee: "There are no easy fixes and I am looking for consensus rather than conflict.

"If we move forward in an adversarial basis, we won't make the changes that are needed."

Tory health spokesman Jonathan Morgan said: "All we can see is a weak and woolly response without measurable objectives; it's neither rigorous nor robust with nothing about what we need to achieve or when we will achieve them."

Lib-Dem health spokesperson Kirsty Williams said: "I'm saddened to say I am left with the feeling, 'why did any of us bother?' because despite the fact that the minister is hardworking, conscientious and caring, we can't face up to the reality of the situation."

For Plaid Cymru, Dr Dai Lloyd said the amount of cash for health promotion within the &#xA3;4.2bn health budget was just &#xA3;4.3m.

* UNION leaders yesterday clashed with Clwyd West Labour MP Gareth Thomas who said the Assembly government should sideline "political correctness" to seek private funds to boost a &#xA3;200m improvement programme by Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust.